Catching Mackerel with a Sabiki Rod

Historically speaking, tracking down and hooking mackerel during May on Cape Cod is about as straightforward as it gets. Nevertheless, there are always times when the mackerel will prove hard to find. On these fishing trips it can make a huge difference to strategically use sonar, and cover a lot of water, until the macks are found.

Homemade sabiki fishing rods make mackerel fishing much less complicated. Sabiki rods reduce sabiki rig tangles and enable the sabiki rig to be stored and used again several times.

To make your own sabiki rod, simply attach an old fishing reel to a five foot long, half inch wide PVC pipe. Drill a hole in the PVC a foot above the fishing reel and run the fishing line through the pipe. Tie the end of the line to a sabiki rig, connect a weight and reel the entire sabiki rig into the PVC.

Once you have found the mackerel schools, release the sabiki rig from the sabiki rod and allow the rig to tumble to the depth where mackerel have been seen on the sonar. A slow jigging movement usually works very well, however it can pay to experiment with depth and jigging motion.

Often times the macks move quickly. Using a reliable sonar unit to stay on top of the schools will help you maximize your time spent on the water. Don’t be afraid to cruise around a bit in order to locate better fishing.

When you are done jigging for the day, simply reel the entire rig back into the PVC sabiki rod. This way, when you are ready to fish again, the rig will be set to go, and most importantly-tangle free. Jigging for mackerel, and other bait fish in this manner, eliminates many of the headaches associated with fishing sabiki rigs. Tight lines and good luck fishing!

Captain Ryan Collins fishes for striped bass and Bluefin tuna off Cape Cod, MA. Visit his blog, myfishingcapecod.com for insider tips about Cape Cod Canal fishing and giant tuna.